MSNBC analyst Melissa Harris-Perry to speak at the University of Rochester

MSNBC political analyst Melissa Harris-Perry will speak at the University of Rochester next month ahead of the school's annual celebration of Black History Month.

Harris-Perry will deliver the 2013 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address at 6 p.m. on Jan. 17. Her speech will focus on race, religion and gender in American politics.

Harris-Perry is a host on MSNBC from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and Sundays. She also appears on Politics Nation with Reverend Al Sharpton, The Rachel Maddow Show, and The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell.

"Dr. Harris-Perry brings a range of topics to her television audiences, including the segment Foot Soldiers, where she pays special tribute to activists who make selfless contributions to their communities," said Norman Burnett, dean and director of the Office of Minority Student Affairs. "It is in this traditional spirit of acknowledging the social justice acts of others that makes it fitting for Dr. Harris-Perry to join us in celebrating Dr. King's legacy."

Harris-Perry has also authored two books: Sister Citizen: Shame Stereotypes, and Black Women in America, and Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought.